All's fair in love and war
by imfromvenus
Summary: Merlin X Arthur. After a shared kiss, Merlin and Arthur share a secret relationship. Will they be able to stay unnoticed by the king or will the flame of their love sputter and go out?
1. Good morning!

**All's fair in love and war**

Merlin stumbled into his master's bedchamber, only to find the prince fast asleep.

"He's so handsome" thought the manservant as he approached the bed. Arthur stirred, as if sensing his presence. Merlin quickly tore his eyes from his sleeping master and started his chores, waking Arthur up in the process.

- Merlin! Do you have to be so noisy, you idiot?

- Me, noisy? Listen to yourself snoring, sire, _that's _noisy!

- Shut up, Merlin- retorted the prince, how he loved to say his name! It seemed to suit the boy perfectly.

Merlin's heart skipped a beat as it always did when Arthur said his name. He stumbled, lost in his daydreams of his master.

- You're so clumsy, Merlin!- again that little jump of the heart when his servant looked at him.- Fill the bath with water and make sure it's hot!

He walked behind the big screen that stood in one corner of the room. Merlin glanced towards the screen, full of longing. He shook his head to clear it of the hazy daydreams and began filling the tub.

Meanwhile, Arthur was stripping down to nakedness, wondering what Merlin would look like naked. He caught his thoughts and blushed; nobody could ever know how he felt about his manservant. Since the day they had met, when he had shouted at the smaller boy for not looking where he was going, he had felt an irresistible pull towards the servant boy. To distract himself from his thoughts, he called out to Merlin.

- Is it ready yet, Merlin?

Merlin quickly looked around him and stretched his hand over the full bathtub. He whispered a spell and his eyes changed colour. The water steamed, boiling. Arthur came out from behind the screen, wrapped in a towel and Merlin examined his muscular chest, secretly impressed. The prince dipped his toe into the still steaming bathtub and jumped back, cursing.

- Merlin, you idiot, it's boiling!

He tried to hit the servant boy but he ducked. Carried by the force of the blow, Arthur fell into the boiling water, shortly followed by Merlin, who had lost his balance while trying to stop his master falling. They both landed in the bathtub and jumped out again, swearing. The prince's towel had slipped off in his tumble and he quickly picked it up and wrapped it back around himself, blushing.

- Merlin! Now look what you've done!

- Me?- he replied indignantly

- Yes, you! Now get out of my sight!

The servant boy turned to go with a hurt expression on his face.

- Merlin…wait…

But he had already gone through the door, leaving the prince alone with his thoughts.

- What should I do now?- he asked the empty room.


	2. I think I love you

**Alls fair in love and war**** 2**

Morgana entered the room and saw Arthur with his head in his hands. She had heard Arthur's question.

- What should you do about what?- she asked, making Arthur jump.

- Morgana! What are you doing here?

She smiled her most infuriating smile.

- Do I need an excuse to come see the handsome prince?

- What do you want, Morgana?

- Firstly, why are you so wet?

- Fell into the bathtub…

- Secondly, what's wrong with you?

- What do you mean?

- Well, before I came in, I saw Merlin. He looked a bit upset and he was soaked as well...

- Yeah, whatever, please leave, I have to get ready- he interrupted.

Morgana looked at him and realised he was dressed in only a towel. The heat rushed to her cheeks and she hurried out, leaving the prince alone again. She caught sight of the servant boy sitting halfway down the corridor.

- Merlin! What's wrong?

He jumped and looked embarrassed.

- Nothing, I was just thinking…

She looked him over and saw that he was still dripping water everywhere. Even when he was dispirited, his eyes shone with _something_. Something that made him stand out from everybody else. She tore her eyes away and looked at the floor, lost in her thoughts. She decided to tell him how she felt.

- Merlin…I think I love you.

She looked up, but the corridor was empty. Merlin had obviously gone while she had been building up her courage. Anger welled up inside Morgana.

- You can defy kings and fight monsters, but you can't even tell a boy how you feel about him before he goes!- she scolded herself.

She strode into her room and called for her maid.

- Gwen! Where are you?

The girl came into Morgana's room through the door that led to her adjoining bedchamber. She took one look at Morgana's face and knew that something was wrong.

- Morgana? What's wrong?- she asked gently, opening her arms to embrace her mistress.

The princess hugged her gratefully.

- Is it Merlin?- whispered the maid

- How do you know about that?- Morgana broke free from the embrace and looked down at the shorter girl.

- I've known you since we were children, Morgana! I can tell when you like someone. So, what happened?

- Nothing, he was just in the corridor. And when I tried to tell him how I feel, he had gone!

- Oh, Morgana! You've always been pursued by the boys; you've never had to pursue one yourself! I guess that's one of the advantages of being the king's ward.

- Maybe… I wish I had been brought up like you, Gwen, then I'd know what to do!


	3. A summons

Arthur was just pulling on his shirt when the messenger arrived.

- Sire, the king wants to see you in the throne room. He says it's urgent.

- Thank you- replied the prince without thinking.

The messenger stared at him; the young prince of Camelot never thanked servants. Arthur, seeing his surprised gaze, turned away and addressed the boy without looking at him.

- Tell him I'll be there right away.

- As you wish, Sire- the servant bowed his head and retreated out the door. Arthur contemplated himself in the mirror. The same face as always, so why had the boy stared? Because I'm a different man than I was before, he answered himself. But what had made him change?

-Merlin- he decided, out loud, feeling the jump of his heart as he spoke the name.

Remembering that his father wished to see him, he ran a hand through his hair, turned and hurried to the throne room.

As soon as he entered the room, he was greeted by his father's worried voice as he spoke to his advisors.

- …reports of a monster, a huge, winged monster that swoops down from the sky and destroys everything in its path.- Uther caught sight of his son- Arthur! Prepare the guard! You will have to ride out before noon!

- What is it, father? What has happened?

- There have been reports of an attack. A small village was attacked by a huge monster that destroyed everything it set eyes on. There were thirteen dead and at least three dozen injured. Twenty-two houses were destroyed in the fire that the beast provoked.- replied the king

Guiace stepped forward, holding a piece of parchment.

- I have a sketch of the beast, done by a citizen of the village that was attacked.- explained the court physician- I believe the monster to be a gryphon.

There was a shocked silence in the throne room.

- A gryphon? What's that?- Arthur asked, breaking the silence.

- A gryphon is a beast that has the body of a lion and the head, wings and front legs of an eagle. As this one has wings, we can be sure that it's a female, probably in search of a mate. Its tail is a serpent and in the pupils of its eyes, flames dance. Its origin is magical.

- Can it be killed?

- It can.

- Then what are we waiting for?- said the prince- Prepare the horses, we ride…

Guiace interrupted him.

- Sire, it can be killed only by a sword enlaced with the venom of another gryphon or- the physician hesitated- with a poison extracted from a flower that grows in places that have known magic recently.

- There is no such place in the kingdom!- exclaimed the king, indignant.

- I know of a place- interrupted Arthur- the lake…

- Which lake?

Guiace answered for him.

- The lake where you almost died. I will send Merlin there at once!

The king agreed and dismissed everybody. Arthur caught up with the physician.

- Wait! Will he be okay, I mean, is it safe for Merlin to go there?

Guiace looked surprised.

- Of course it is, Sire.

- Then…um…good. Well…um…I'll go with him, just to make sure he doesn't…um…drown or anything.

- As you wish, Sire. I'll go tell him to get ready now.

- Yeah, you do that…-the prince's voice trailed away as the physician hurried to his chambers.- and I'll look after him…


	4. Chapter 4

- So…um…why are we here again?- asked Merlin

- We're looking for a flower.

- Hmmm- Merlin slid off his horse and picked a bunch of daisies- Will these do?- he laughed, presenting them to the prince.

Arthur felt himself blush.

- Stop messing around, Merlin! Get back on that horse, we're nearly there.

Merlin stood in one of the stirrups, put one leg over the horse, lifted the other and slid over the horse's back onto the ground. Arthur dismounted quickly and rushed over to where Merlin was lying in the grass.

- Are you all right?

- Yeah, sure…- Merlin looked into the eyes of the prince and smiled.

Arthur, realising that he was cradling his manservant's head in his hands, cleared his throat and turned away.

- Come on, Merlin. Get back on the horse. Copy me.

Arthur put his foot in the stirrup, and in one fluid motion, hoisted himself onto the horse's back. Merlin watched him, open-mouthed and the prince felt a shock of pleasure run through him.

- Go on, your turn.

Merlin copied his actions and ended up in the saddle.

- See? Anyone can do it!

- Oh, yeah, thanks Arthur.

As usual, Arthur felt a little thrill when his manservant said his name.

- I think we're there, isn't that it, just ahead?

- Umm…yeah, I think so, Merlin- Arthur loved the sound of that name, and he loved the way he felt when his lips shaped the two syllables that he adored so much: Merlin.

Half an hour later, dripping wet, Arthur and Merlin walked towards the tree where they had left their horses.

- Well, at least we got the bloody flower.

- Yeah, I guess so…

- Arthur, what's wrong?

- It's just…this place reminds me of…of…

To Merlin's horror, Arthur burst into tears. He opened his arms and the prince fell into them gratefully.

- Arthur…

The prince sobbed harder. Merlin yearned to comfort him in a more intimate way than a simple embrace.

- Arthur…

- Merlin…

Acting on impulse and desire, the dark haired boy released himself from Arthur's strong arms and leaned forward, searching for the blonde's lips. The prince, interpreting correctly the signs, rushed forward to meet his manservant's lips.

They both gasped when their lips met and deepened the kiss. Merlin, feeling Arthur's probing tongue against his lips, opened them and let the prince explore his mouth before demanding entrance to his.

After a while they broke apart, panting.

- Nobody…can ever know about this, Merlin.

- It'll be our secret.

They mounted their horses and rode towards Camelot.


	5. Chapter 5

As Camelot came into sight, Arthur turned to Merlin.

- Our secret, remember.

- Sure

They were greeted by guards and ushered into the throne room.

- Did you find the flower, Arthur?

- Yes, father. I have it here.

Uther reached out and took the flower.

- Go and get Guiace- he ordered Merlin

The servant boy hurried out of the room.

- Why did you accompany him to the lake, Arthur?- asked the king

- Umm… he's a bit of an idiot, see, and he probably would have got lost if he was on his own.

- Oi! I wouldn't have got lost! I mean…I would have found the way somehow…- called Merlin from the door.

- Shut up, Merlin- replied Arthur

- I heard you found the flower- said Guiace

- Yes, the king's got it- Merlin told him

- Here it is- the king passed the flower to Guiace

- Well, I'll start right away- promised the physician- I'll need a sword…

- Merlin, go get a sword from the armoury- ordered Arthur

- Uhh…what?

- The armoury, you idiot, where the weapons and stuff are kept…- seeing Merlin's blank look, he added- I'll show you where it is.

The prince grabbed Merlin's wrist and dragged him out. Guiace and Uther exchanged a confused look.

- They're like Siamese twins. I never thought they'd grow this close.- confided the king- I wonder…

- This way, Merlin!- called Arthur- The armoury's through here- he added pointing to a door on the left.

Merlin picked himself up from the foot of the flight of stairs he had just fallen down and walked around the corner to where the prince was waiting.

- Merlin! What's happened to you? You're bleeding!- he exclaimed when he saw his manservant come around the corner.

- Fell down the stairs…-muttered Merlin.

Arthur leaned forward and licked the blood off Merlin's skin before kissing the wound. The black-haired boy stared at him for a moment before kissing him on the lips. Arthur opened the door to the armoury and, locked in a passionate embrace, they stumbled in.

They deepened the kiss, each of them gasping when their tongues met. They ripped each other's shirts open, and their trousers soon joined the shirts on the floor. Just as Arthur was caressing Merlin's stomach, they heard Guiace calling:

- Merlin? I need that sword now…


	6. Chapter 6

After a quick glance, they started scrambling back into their clothes. Only seconds after they had done the buttons on their shirts up, Guiace came into the armoury. He bowed his head to Arthur and glared at Merlin.

- Where's that sword, Merlin?

- Here- said Arthur, handing him a huge, heavy sword.

- I think a smaller sword would be better, actually, your highness.

Merlin grabbed a longsword from one of the shelves.

- Like this?- he asked

- No, like this- said Guaice, taking a normal sword from the table.- Go and get some water, Merlin. Your highness, the king wants you.

- Okay- said Arthur and slipped out of the room.

- Now, Merlin- said the physician- would you care to tell me why your shirt is inside out?

Arthur strode into the throne room.

- You called for me?

- I did- replied the king

There was a pause as each waited for the other to speak. They both broke the silence at the same time:

- Well what…?

- You see…

Uther cleared his throat. The prince gestured for him to continue.

-Well, you see, Guiace is getting old…

- Getting old! He's been old for decades!- interrupted Arthur- Sorry- he added

- As I was saying, Guiace is getting old and needs more help with his books and his cures.

- You want me to find Guiace an assistant?

- Not exactly- the king hesitated before continuing- We've already found somebody perfect for the job.

- Great! Who is it?

- It's your manservant, Martin or whatever his name is…You'll have to find yourself another boy willing to clean up after you.

Meanwhile:

- M…my shirt?- stammered Merlin and twisted to look at himself.- Oh, um, well, it must have been like that when I put it on.

- I'm sure you had it on the right way when we had breakfast…

- Well, I can't have.

Guiace looked suspicious but gave up.

- I suppose I could have made a mistake, after all, my eyesight's not what it used to be.

- Yeah, probably.

- Any way, come and help me with this sword. You still have that magic book I gave you, don't you?

- Of course!

- Well, we're going to need it.

On the way to Guiace's chambers, Merlin heard Arthur's raised voice from the throne room:

- You want me to fire Merlin?

The black-haired boy hurried after the physician without hearing the king's reply:

- Not fire him, just send him to work in a different wing of the palace.


	7. Chapter 7

- Merlin- said Guiace- what's wrong with you? You're very quiet today.

- What?

Merlin shook his head to clear it of the dreads that were filling his thoughts but couldn't get rid of the feeling of rejection coursing through him.

- Merlin! Where is your mind today? Go get your magic book.

Obediently, Merlin trudged up the stairs to his room and murmured the spell that loosened the floorboard under which he had hidden the book.

It didn't work. He tried again and again, even trying the simplest spell he knew out of desperation. Nothing worked.

- Guiace!- he called, panicking

- What's wrong, Merlin?- replied the physician, opening the door to the room.

- I can't do it, Guiace.- He paused- I've lost my magic!

…

A few hours later, Merlin was sitting in a depressed heap in the middle of Guiace's study with abandoned books surrounding him. The physician was snoring at his desk, his head resting on an open book.

- Cerrio- whispered the black-haired boy, looking at an open book that lay at his feet. It didn't move. His head dropped back onto his knees.

Half an hour later, Merlin and Guiace were woken by a knock at the door.

- Merlin!- called Arthur- Are you there? I have to speak to you.

- Wha'?- asked Merlin groggily

The prince opened the door and saw the depressed heap that was his beloved manservant.

- Merlin- he said gently- please. I have to talk to you.

- Okay- answered Merlin, getting up and heading to the door.

The king yawned for the umpteenth time and tried to keep his eyes open. All of Sammeth's babble about new techniques for the guards was boring him.

- …and we believe that, maybe, somebody else should take over from the prince…he seems distracted lately…

Uther sat up straight

- What!- he said outraged- you would have someone other than the future king, my son Arthur, the best knight in the kingdom, to take charge of the knights of Camelot?

The knight shrank away, seeing that he had gone too far.

- I'm sorry, sire. I didn't mean that…it's just that the prince seems rather distracted and distant of late…we believe he needs a break or…

- He's _my _son! He's the _prince_ of Camelot! Who are you to suggest that he needs a break?

As soon as the two boys were out of earshot from Guiace's chambers, Arthur took the smaller boy in his arms and kissed his forehead, the tip of his nose and finally his lips.

Merlin started to melt in his arms, feeling all the rejection and sadness fade away. He felt the hole in his chest fill again and all the depression left him when the prince's lips touched his.

But he remembered what he had heard outside the throne room and the warm feeling went away.

- Arthur…

The blonde took his doubt for desire and let his hands trail to his servant's waistline.

- Merlin…

The slighter boy drew away.

- I heard you talking to your father.

He was speechless for a moment or so.

-You know I'd never send you away voluntarily...he's my father, I have to do as he says...

-But why? You know if he finds out about us he'll have me banished or something for _turning _you...run away with me, Arthur. I love you, we can make a new life for ourselves, somewhere where nobody knows who you are...we could be happy

...


	8. Please Arthur

"Merlin...you know I can't...Camelot depends on me! What will happen when my father dies if I'm not here to take the throne?"

Arthur was confused. The offer his manservant had made was an exciting one, a desirable one but a cowardly one. To run away from this place where people depended on him, just because of some irrational fear of what people would think when they heard about him and Merlin aws a coward's escape. A frightened rat's escape. Not one for a prince.

But he knew deep in his heart that the fear wasn't irrational at all. He knew that his father would have Merlin banished, at least. Arthur had to marry a woman, a princess from another powerful kingdom, to ensure a union between their two lands and, most importantly, a son to carry on the Pendragon bloodline.

It was unacceptable, from his father's point of view, that his only son should fall in love with a servant. A _male _servant.

It would shame the whole kingdom that all the training, all the goodness and strength and resistance and courage in the prince's heart should be set on a servant boy.

But that's the way love worked. You never knew what would happen. Arthur had thought he was in love with Gwen, but when it became apparent that she had feelings for Lancelot, he had come to think of her only as a friend. That was when his thoughts had turned to Merlin, when his attention began to be caught by the little things that the boy did and was: the way his hair never lay flat, the way his eyes always had a spark of _something_ different in them, his endearing clumsiness and stupidity…; the list could go on forever.

He loved him, he was sure of that. But that was the only thing he was sure of at the moment.

"Then you prefer to stay here and be a puppet to your father's will? Marry some princess you've never met and will _never _have feelings for? Because I know you love me, Arthur Pendragon, but I think you love your title, your banquets, your fancy clothes and your power more than you love me!"

Arthur began to say something but Merlin carried on.

"Please, Arthur. Run away with me. I need you. I can't stay here while your father's on the throne, for more reasons than one. And I think you've known the main reason ever since you first met me. So, I can see you're confused. Let me set it clear for you: you can have me, we can run away together, somewhere where nobody knows us, we can be happy, start again from scratch. And I know this will hurt you, but when your father's on his deathbed, we will come back and you will change Camelot for the better. You will carve a better future from your father's reign of fear and death. Or, you can stay here, I will go and work with Guias and we won't see each other ever again. You will marry a beautiful princess from far away and I hope you'll be happy with her, because I won't be able to stand and watch you kiss her when I know you could have been mine. If you stay, I will leave. I love you but I can't live like this, hiding in the shadows, always dreading the day your father will find out about us. Because he will find out. And he will have me banished or killed in some disgustingly painful way I don't even want to think about. I know it's a lot to ask, but I think that it's the right thing to do."


	9. Revelations throughout the castle

_**Author's note: heey=) recently I've been concentrating a bit too much on Arthur and Merlin so I just wanted to weave this idea I've had for ages into the plot. Anyway, Guias and Morgana have been feeling neglected so this chapter is mostly about them, seeing as Morgana (even though you probably can't tell from how scarce she is in my writing) is my fave character from Merlin (even though she's turned evil in the series) =) Oh and she hasn't met Morgows (not sure how to spell it) yet in this story. Think that's about it. Enjoy and please, any suggestions, questions, corrections, criticisms, stuff that isn't very clear…review! Everyone knows how encouraging just a few reviews are when you haven't got much time to write. =) Thanks for reading so far anyway. Oh, and one last thing: these three parts happen simultaneously (just in case it isn't very clear) =P **_

Guias was exhausted. His hands were trembling and he could hardly keep his eyes open. He reached for the next book, searching for the spell that would bind the flower's poison into the blade. If only Merlin would hurry up…the physician's eyesight blurred momentarily and his breath caught in his throat. He was beginning to feel the telltale light-headedness and his limb's reluctance to move as he commanded them to. No…the curse should never return, it had been completely eradicated from his body. In all theory, he should not be feeling like this, he should not have another collapse. He was cured! The druids had spun such a web of healing, cleansing and protecting spells around him that the curse should not be able to reach him. This could not be happening. It went against every theory, every ounce of logic that Guias lived by.

Unless…the curse's caster had made it evolve until its dark tendrils could penetrate even the druid's best spell work.

Impossible. It should have been impossible.

The physician's legs gave way underneath him and he fell to the floor. His heart rate was dangerously fast and the world around him slowly faded to black.

The last thing he heard while he was conscious was the urgent toll of the alarm bell.

…

Morgana was dreaming.

_She was in a forest, surrounded by trees and plants entwined so thickly that next to no moonlight illuminated the petite clearing she was sprawled in. Apart from her own labored breathing, she could hear deep, even breaths from beside her. _

_She rolled over and there he lay, bathed in the only moonlight that penetrated the wall of vegetation that enclosed the clearing. Merlin, deep in sleep._

_Some instinct inside Morgana pushed her too kiss him where his jawbone met his neck. His eyes opened suddenly and in the instant they met hers, she felt a bolt of energy inside her._

_He smiled, glad of her company._

"Merlin…"whispered the king's ward, deep in sleep just as Gwen came in to blow out the lone candle that made flickering shadows dance on the walls of Morgana's bedchamber.

In that moment, the alarm bell began to sound and Morgana bolted upright, her hand automatically groping for the dagger she kept under her pillow.

"What in the world…?"

…

"…I know it's a lot to ask, but I think that it's the right thing to do."

Arthur looked at his manservant, dumbfounded. He had never imagined Merlin would feel as strongly about the prince as he did about him.

For the first time in his life, Arthur Pendragon was speechless. He pulled the black-haired boy to him and kissed him slowly, to try and show him that, as much as he desired to follow what he had said, he could not. He was bound to Camelot, with blood and honour, and could not leave the kingdom now, or ever. It would be selfish to follow his heart in this, much as he wished to run away with Merlin.

"I love you, Merlin" he murmured against the boy's lips "only an idiot like you could make such a cowardly plan sound so desirable."

"Arthur, please" the servant boy pushed away from him and looked him straight in the eyes "I need an answer. If I stay, your father will kill me and you know it. My plan may be cowardly but no man has ever been thought less of for following his heart. Just tell me where your heart truly lies."

The prince reached out for him but they were interrupted by the ear-shattering voice of the alarm bell.

"What the hell could be wrong now?"

The blonde boy sprinted towards the guard's chambers, leaving Merlin alone, feeling as if the world was crashing down on his shoulders.

His magic was gone, the only thing that defined him as _him _was gone and now Arthur, the only one he had eve fully given his heart to, didn't love him enough. A choked sob escaped his lips and he ran, head down, towards Guias' chambers.

…


	10. Battles inside my head

_**Just to save confusions, the italic is a dream. =) xD Oh, and Morgana's not "evil". Osea, she doesn't know Morgause.**_

_Gaius was lost. The full moon bathed the clearing in moonlight.. In a corner, he could see movement._

"_Merlin?"_

_The boy looked up and smiled at the physician before looking down, slowly and purposefully at the dagger protruding from his chest._

"_No! Merlin!"_

_The old man rushed to catch the mage as he fell but he passed through his outstretched arms before disappearing into the silver moonlight._

_From behind him, the physician heard a familiar laugh, but twisted and distorted until it sent chills down his spine._

_Morgana, dressed in a blood red dress walked towards him, her arms outstretched as if asking for help. Suddenly her dress caught fire and her screams echoed through the clearing._

"_Morgana!"_

_He spun around, seeing friends and foes everywhere. Uther, with a noose around his neck; Freya, the cursed girl, cornered by the king's men; Lancelot, drowning in golden water; Arthur, falling through empty space; Myror, aiming a crossbow at Gwaine; Cenred, drinking from the Cup of Life; Morgause, smiling as she slit Gwen's throat; the Great Dragon incinerating Sophia and Aulfric, with Mordred on his back; and Alice, fighting Nimwei __**(no idea how to spell this sorry) **__as the sorceress held her in strong arms and pressed a poisoned goblet to her lips._

_The images wouldn't stop and Gaius sunk to his knees in the middle of the clearing._

"_What is this place?" he asked the world in general._

_All the apparitions melted into the moonlight until only Nimwei stood before him, casting the poisoned goblet to the ground with a laugh. The grass that its contents splashed withered and died instantly._

"_It's not a physical place, Gaius, it's your imagination...all your nightmares and dreams are stored here."_

_The sorceress disappeared, to be replaced by Merlin, with the dagger still in his chest. He fell to the ground and Morgause kicked his corpse aside to smile at Gaius._

"_I'm sure you'll have great fun here."_

_This couldn't possibly be real. The last thing he remembered was the symptoms of the long-forgotten curse and the urgent toll of the alarm bell._

_Mordred tapped his shoulder from behind._

_If this isn't real, physician he said in his mind Then what is?_

_The druid boy morphed into Edwin who whispered a few magic words for darkness._

_The moon was extinguished and Gaius looked up at the starless night sky. When would this nightmare end?_

"_Never" whispered Morgana, writing the letters in thin air with the flames still trailing from her body._

_The letters burnt in the cold air long after the king's ward had melted into nothingness._

_..._

It was complete chaos in the guard's chambers. Men rushed about, collecting swords, helmets, shields, spears...Anything that might help them in this confusing time of blood and fire.

"What is going on?" demanded Arthur

One of the knights stopped buckling his helmet and looked at the prince.

"'Tis not my place to tell you, sire, but the king awaits your presence in the throne room."

"Thank you"

The prince checked that his sword was safely buckled to his belt and grabbed his shield from the wall.

He was going to need them.

...

Morgana hurried to the throne room, disregarding the fact that she was wearing only her nightdress. Gwen ran close behind her, with her robe in her arms.

"What is happening?" she demanded of the king.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, dearie" smirked Morgause as she pushed the paralysed king out of the throne before whispering into her cupped hands and blowing the words towards the king's ward.

Her eyes as they changed colour were the last things Morgana saw as she hit the floor.

...

Merlin lent over the physician as he lay unmoving on the floor.

"Gaius! Wake up, please!"

Over and over again, the boy whispered the magic words for healing but nothing happened. Grunting, He lifted the lifeless physician onto his shoulders and laid him on his bed.

"I'll come back for you, I swear."

And the young mage set out to face the growing battle with only a dagger and desperation. It was his first fight without magic.

And he was determined to win it.


	11. Merlin's secret is revealed!

Merlin ducked as yet another black-armoured man thrust his enormous sword toward the servant boy. He slashed the little dagger toward his attacker and winced as he felt it make contact with the knight's neck. Retaliation done, he shrunk into the shadows and continued on his way to the throne room.

The sixth attacker managed to wound him, slashing open his left forearm. Out of pure desperation, Merlin whispered the word of death but to no effect. His attacker grinned, obviously thinking himself victorious against this little nothing of a boy. He knocked the servant boy to the ground and raised his sword to deliver the final blow. Merlin closed his eyes and prepared to die.

...

From across the hallway that had turned into a battlefield, Arthur saw Merlin fall and the sword raised to kill the boy.

"No!" he cried, launching himself across the lifeless bodies that lay on the floor. The sword came down, reflecting the fire that burnt in the torch.

The prince thrust himself to Merlin's side and parried the sword, stopping it when it was but an inch away from the boy's heaving chest. Caught in the heat of battle, he dispatched the attacker with a sword thrust through his neck.

"Are you alright?" he asked Merlin, kneeling next to the boy

"It seems so" he smiled "thanks to you..."

"Merlin" said Arthur strongly "I love you. If we both survive this battle, then I will run away with you."

The boy's heart stopped. Had he really said that?

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course, just try not to get yourself killed. I need you."

Their eyes met and they shared a smile full of love, hope and the knowledge that they would either have a happy future together or die trying.

The next soldier who raised his sword against them fell to Merlin's magic. Out of pure habit, he had whispered a death word and he had felt the magic inside of him rising until it reached his very soul. He smiled at the familiar sensation of power behind his eyes as they changed colour.

His smile faded as he saw Arthur looking at him, open-mouthed.

"You're...you're a sorcerer?"

Merlin was saved from having to answer as an enemy knight slashed his sword towards the prince's neck.

In less than a second, the soldier fell inexplicably, held by invisible cords. Merlin kept his gaze concentrated on the bound man until Arthur killed him quickly.

"We'll talk later." Arthur said, chilling the servant with his cold tone.

They were both caught up in the heat of battle: the sweat that covered your body as you ran as fast as you could towards the opposition; the split-second relief when a poorly-aimed sword glanced off your breastplate; the cold that filled you as you delivered yet another poor soul to Death and then the heat that coursed through you as an opposing soldier shot an arrow at you and you were once again engulfed in the rage of the fight.

Arthur did his best to ignore the thoughts that filled his mind. How could Merlin; sweet, defenceless, idiotic, innocent Merlin; be a sorcerer? His father had taught him that sorcerers' very souls were tainted by their evil ways, by the magic that ran through their veins.

He had never thought there could be an exception.

Never thought he would fall in love with the very example, from his father's point of view, of all that was wrong with this world.

He pushed the thoughts from his mind and concentrated on the fight.

Half an hour later, Arthur thrust his sword into the chest of yet another opponent. The young soldier looked up at Arthur through bloodshot eyes and saw the pity in the older man's eyes. The boy was only a child, thought the prince, he was too young to die, too young to fight but too old to let his father ride into battle alone.  
- I'm sorry- he whispered to the dying boy.  
The boy choked on the blood that was pouring out of a gash on his forehead.  
- Don't be- he replied with his last breath.  
Arthur lowered the boy to the ground and silently said a prayer for the child's soul to be delivered safely to whatever awaited him.  
A poorly aimed spear bounced off the prince's helmet and he stood up quickly to face the new opponent. The man before him was older than Arthur, around forty.  
- My son!- he cried when he caught sight of the lifeless body behind the blonde man.  
- He's at peace now- he assured the distraught man before delivering him to the same fate as his son.  
- Go with him- he whispered to the man who lay before him in a puddle of his own blood- and be at peace.

The battle continued and Arthur lost count of how many men fell before his blood-covered sword. He was hot and sweaty but felt cold inside. Killing always left him cold and shaky. Nevertheless, he didn't dare to stop dodging spears and blocking sword-thrusts for even a second. In battle, the only things that kept you alive were your reflexes. You had a split second to react when a sword was thrust your way. Dodge it, block it or die. Those were your only choices.

After what seemed like an eternity of blood, sweat and rage to Arthur, the few opponents that were left retreated. The knights of Camelot followed them and forced them to surrender, taking them prisoner to interrogate them about the attack.

Merlin sought the prince out and went to him. The blonde had a cut on his cheek and a deep wound on his right arm that prevented him from moving it freely.

The mage looked into his eyes and placed his hand upon the wound, reaching into the flow of magic within his blood and whispering the words for healing.

Arthur winced as his muscle and flesh knit itself back together. He ran his hand over his flawless skin unbelieving, seeing that the only mark left was the blood on his arm.

"Magic can be used for good as well as bad, Arthur." whispered the boy, fixing his own more serious wounds, leaving the shallower gashes for later.

With a few words, he mended the prince's cheek and smiled as the face he loved so much became flawless one more, apart frpm the smear of blood where the cut had been.

"Let's go find my father, then we'll talk. I won't tell him about you" said Arthur, seeing Merlin's panicked look. "But make yourself useful and heal as many people as you can on the way".

The mage smiled and quickly set to work, ignoring the knight's disbelieving looks as he caused their wounds to close up.

But could the prince really change everything he had believed in all his life, in so little time?


	12. In the throne room

Morgana woke up on the floor of the throne room. Gwen was kneeling beside her, looking at her anxiously.

"My lady! I'm so glad you're awake, are you alright?"

The king's ward cleared her throat and pushed herself into a sitting position, smoothing down her bodice.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, thank you. What happened?"

"Well...what can you remember?"

Morgana tried to remember, but, try as she might, could not remember anything after the alarm bell woke her up. She told Gwen this and the maid bit her lip nervously.

"Um, we came into the throne room and Morgause was here. She knocked the king out of the throne and then made you go to sleep. She tied me up over...there" She nodded to a pillar with a pile of rough rope beside it. Gwen had obviously slipped free of her bonds to attend to her mistress."And I got free and I've been waiting about...ten minutes for you to wake up."

"And Morgause?"

"She went away a while ago with some of her soldiers."

Morgana looked around the room properly and saw the king lying next to the throne, still unconscious. She crawled over to him, not bothering to stand up and shook him gently. We wouldn't wake.

The doors burst open and both girls turned around to see what new trouble awaited them.

_**Yes, it's short =/ sorry but I'll have the next chapter up soon (as soon as I work out what's going to happen next xD) Now, this might seem a bit weird, but I just thought I'd give it a shot: I wanted to ask you guys for advice.**_

_**See, I'm a girl (duh) and I'm thirteen years old. I've liked this guy (let's call him Bob) ever since we went out for a few months three years ago.**_

_**Now Bob likes my friend (let's call her Ann) and Ann likes him back. But anyway, more to the point, I hang out a lot with Bob and two other boys (only friends) and my parents aren't very happy about the fact that I hardly ever hang out with the girls outside school hours.**_

_**So, this is where I need the advice: what can I do to stop my parents being so annoyed about me hanging out so much with boys (without stopping hanging out with them)? Any suggestions are really appreciated because I'm really stuck =(**_

_**Plus, tips on getting over "Bob" if you've got any.**_

_**Thanks =)**_


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